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Q17: Does the Census Bureau produce ZIP Code maps?
The Census Bureau doesn't have a mandate to do ZIP code mapping so we don't
claim that any ZIP product we have is definitive or complete. In any case we
don't produce ZIP code maps. There are several commercial mapping firms that
produce ZIP Code maps for selected areas, thought not necessarily
agreeing with USPS delineations. A Web search should turn up the names of
companies that offer these maps.
To our knowledge no one, not even the USPS, has produced a complete and
authoritative ZIP Code map of the entire country.
Another possible source of information is the Postal Service Web site:
http://www.usps.gov/
We have produced, as a by product of other work, a point file containing a
calculated internal point. This point was calculated in the computer from the
locations of addresses with a specific ZIP Code and not out in the field using
the Global Positioning System. Note, since ZIP codes are not specifically
designed to be polygons (they are linear postal delivery routes) a given
calculated internal point could be well away from the addresses it represents
such as addresses clustered along an arc. An example would be addresses
along a long arc-shaped street. Also, the file doesn't have ZIP Codes for
completely commercial areas or for places with non-city-style addresses (most
of the rural areas).
Next: Q18: Why am I coming up with gaps in coverage when I try to use TIGER/Line files
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